PREP WORK: Charleston Parks Conservancy volunteers spent a recent
chilly Saturday getting Brittlebank Park spruced up for the dog demonstrations
that will be held there during next weekend's Southeastern Wildlife Expo.
(Photo
provided by Charleston
Parks Conservancy.)

CharlestonCurrents.com
is a new online twice-weekly publication that offers insightful community
comment and good news on events. It cuts through the information clutter
to offer insight and news on the best of what's happening locally.More.

TODAY'S
FOCUSStrategies
for greening your worldBy
GEORGE BUELLWhyGoEco Consulting
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com

FEB. 5,
2009 -- Having trouble finding perspective in the "green" business
conversation? Don't worry. You are not alone. For the past decade or so,
the concepts of green living, sustainable practices and environmental
stewardship have grown in interest throughout the U.S. and the world.
We can thank a number of pioneers for bringing these issues into mainstream
discussion, amongst them William McDonough, author of "Cradle to
Cradle," Thomas Friedman, author of "Hot, Flat and Crowded"
and Al Gore, producer of "An Inconvenient Truth." Additionally,
organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council, Energystar and Green
Seal give additional validity to the growing field of sustainability.

Buell

A considerable
challenge develops, however, when any issue is thrust so quickly into
the mainstream, as the message risks becoming garbled due to so many individuals,
businesses and organizations seeking "green attention." It is
difficult to place priority on the overload of information; to know what
is valuable and what is simply "greenwashing."

As a means
to distill the problem into simpler terms, let me suggest three areas
to consider in your analysis of personal green choices:

First,
embrace the reality that green is here to stay. Already a global movement,
green will continue to grow and, increasingly, those businesses neglecting
a green plan and a green message will face losing market share. This fact
will gain further traction as fuel costs return to the levels of mid-2008
and the Obama administration follows through on its commitment to green
energy investment. As consumers become savvy, purchasing choices will
routinely include evaluation of a product's green profile. Businesses
will be held accountable for their sustainable practices. In short, no
PR plan should omit a green message.

Second,
green management is good for the bottom line. With increasing costs of
operating buildings, primarily in electricity, water and waste removal,
green initiatives can act as a direct offset to these expenses. Any respectable
plan for sustainable operations includes aggressive steps toward reduction
of kilowatt usage, as well as water use reduction strategies and reduction
of waste stream through purchasing policies and recycling. The assumption
that "green practices are good for the earth but don't make sense
financially" is simply false. Bringing a green culture to any organization
means substantial improvement to net profit.

Lastly,
and most importantly, implementation of green programs within a company
can dramatically impact team building and labor cost reduction. When a
decision is made to start a green program, the first strategy is to form
a group of line employees into a Green Team and to empower the group to
bring plans forward for a sustainable operations strategy.

Unlike
so many other types of efforts to unify a staff around various types of
organizational goals (increased customer service, for example), green
teams emerge around individual shared ideals as opposed to simply following
the directives of supervisors. As a result, the "ownership"
taken is real and is meaningful. The result is a staff that feels genuinely
engaged in the effort. Out of the shared green mission emerges a culture
in which the staff hold each other accountable for the performance of
the green effort and managers are less likely to need to effect change
by downward mandate. It is a truly bottom-up movement of committed effort.

An unexpected
benefit derived is the payroll savings emerging from job sharing. Once
a culture of thrift and conservation is in place, unnecessary personnel
and tasks become increasingly awkward and a sense of teamwork will open
the door to job sharing and cross training. As the staff evolves through
this synergy, it is common to experience a lessening of the total man-hours
required to fulfill the weekly functions of the business.

In a word,
green thinking is the thinking of reduced consumption, reuse of materials
and a general spirit of thrift. This thrift translates into savings in
the expenses of business materials and utilities and will have the additional
benefit of developing efficient, motivated teams, operating at less cost
and with higher morale.

George Buell
is the president of WhyGoEco, a Charleston-based green consulting company.
He is a LEED Accredited Professional with 30 years of leadership experience
in the hospitality industry. Contact him through his company's Web site,
http://www.whygoeco.com.

FEB. 5,
2009 -- Next time you drive across Shem Creek, try to picture the Father
of Our Country, George Washington, standing on a ferry boat heading out
of the mouth of the creek and across the harbor to Charleston. These days,
with the creek packed with power boats and bars and restaurants, it's
a little hard to imagine that scene, but it really happened in 1791, when
then-President Washington visited the Lowcountry on his "Southern
Tour."

Thrash

Shem Creek
was a working creek then, and over the centuries it's been home to rice
mills, ship-building facilities and lime kilns where bricks were made
to supply the brickyards that were once a powerful force in the local
economy. The creek is still a working creek today, although in a much
different way, and many of us hope it always will be.

I grew
up in Mount Pleasant in the 1960s and '70s, when the creek was jammed
with shrimp trawlers and the shrimp houses beside the docks were filled
with people heading the vast quantities of shrimp that the trawlers hauled
in. There were only two restaurants then, the Trawler and the Lorelei.
As a little girl, I always got the giggles when I read the signs on the
restroom doors at the Lorelei: "Gulls" and "Buoys."
They don't write 'em like that anymore, do they?

Memories
of Shem Creek -- both its place in my own life and its long history --
were inescapable earlier this week when I heard that the town of Mount
Pleasant is seeking input for its master plan to preserve and protect
the area. Town officials say that survey work has begun in earnest on
plans for Shem Creek Park and the Bailey Docks, and they're urging citizens
to share their views as plans take shape.

"We
plan to address the redevelopment of the Bailey Docks and former OK Tire
property with all the due care that this area deserves," Mount Pleasant
Mayor Harry M. Hallman said in a press release. "The design of the
Shem Creek Park and Bailey Docks will not be created without a great deal
of participation by many stakeholders. We cannot do this alone and we
need the input of a wide range of participants to create a product that
will benefit the entire community and future generations to come. We have
a number of priorities, not the least of which are public access for the
most photographed location in South Carolina, and the preservation of
docks for our shrimp and fishing fleet."

It's encouraging
to see the list of groups and individuals whom the town is working with
on the plans. It includes local shrimpers and sailors, neighborhood groups
(who in the past have complained about noise from the bars), business
operators along Shem Creek, the Coast Guard and Corps of Engineers, the
Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Coleman Boulevard
Revitalization Advisory Board, and the Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
staff.

The master
plan being developed will address uses for the high ground (the park)
and the docks, and will also consider parking, pedestrian routes and how
the whole project fits in with the refurbishment that's under way on Coleman
Boulevard.

A public
meeting will be held for residents to weigh in with their comments, but
the town is also encouraging residents to speak up at any time during
this "input stage," which is expected to conclude by approximately
March 12. Send your thoughts by email to town
engineer Kevin Mitchell. When a date is set for that public comment
meeting, we'll let you know.

Our
policy:
We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send
your thoughts to editor Ann
Thrash. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. One
submission allowed per month.
Make sure to include your name and phone number. Submission of a comment
grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200
words or less.

SPOTLIGHT

The public
spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents
to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter BB&T,
a regional bank that has built on a tradition of excellence in community
banking since 1872. BB&T is a mission-driven organization with a clearly
defined set of business principals and values. It encourages employees
to have a strong sense of purpose, a high level of self-esteem and the
capacity to think clearly and logically. BB&T offers clients a complete
range of financial services including banking, lending, insurance, trust
and wealth management solutions. To learn more, visit
BB&T online or drop in to talk with its professionals at the main
branch office at 151 Meeting Street, Charleston. Phone: (843)720-5168.

To learn more
about all of our underwriters and nonprofit partners, click
here.

GOOD
NEWSOrangeburg
Massacre film to have first local showing Monday

"Scarred
Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968" will have its Charleston premier
on Feb. 9 as part of The Citadel's commemoration of Black History Month.
The film will be shown at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Burke High School
on President Street, two blocks from The Citadel.

"We
are honored to be the sponsor for the Charleston premier of this important
film," says Bo Moore, dean of The Citadel's School of Humanities
and Social Sciences. "The Orangeburg Massacre has too often been
missing from substantive discussions about the civil rights era in South
Carolina. It is our hope that this documentary will promote a better public
understanding of this tragic event and the lingering impact that it has
had on race relations in our state."

The one-hour
documentary, funded by PBS, chronicles the massacre, which occurred after
four days of student protests to desegregate a whites-only bowling alley
in downtown Orangeburg near the historically black colleges of South Carolina
State and Claflin University. On Feb. 8, 1968, eight seconds of police
gunfire left three young men dead and 27 wounded. It was the first time
police had opened fire on students on a U.S. college campus, predating
the uprising at Kent State University by two years.

The film
includes interviews with a number of those involved, including students,
state police, the late Gov. Robert McNair, Cleveland Sellers (now president
of Voorhees College) and author Jack Bass, a member of the history faculty
at The Citadel.

Following
the film, there will be a Q&A session with co-producers and co-directors
Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson, along with Bass, who is co-author of
the book "The Orangeburg Massacre." Copies of the book as well
as DVDs of the movie will be available for purchase.

RiverDogs
offering 'Stretch Your Dollars' deal now only

As part
of a seasonlong "Stretch Your Dollars" promotion, the Charleston
RiverDogs are offering a family-oriented package of fun for RiverDogs
games.

The Staycation
package features four upper reserve ticket vouchers, four hot dogs, four
Pepsi and chips vouchers, a pass for free parking, two RiverDogs caps
and logo baseballs, all-access passes to the Kidz Zone and a group picture
with the team's famed mascot, Charlie T. RiverDog, all for $45. The package
would normally be valued at more than $100.

"Our
fans can realize that they don't need to leave the area in order to have
a quality vacation," says RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols.
"They can let the RiverDogs take care of that at Riley Park for them."

The Staycation
deal is good through Feb. 27. Once processed, undated ticket vouchers,
food vouchers and the parking voucher will be mailed in mid-March. When
fans arrive at the ballpark, they can exchange the ticket vouchers for
game day tickets and present their Staycation receipt at Guest Services
to claim their caps, baseballs and Kidz Zone passes and coordinate their
photo with Charlie T. RiverDog.

Vouchers
can be redeemed for any regular season home game, although a $2 charge
for the July 3 Independence Day Celebration Game and the annual postgame
Christian Concert Game will apply.

Principal
dancer Melody Staples has the title role in the Charleston Ballet
Theatre's production of "Cinderella." (Charleston Ballet
Theatre photo.)

Taking
a fiscally conservative approach in the midst of ongoing economic hard
times for the arts, the Charleston Ballet Theatre has announced that it
will close out the 2008-09 season in March with "Cinderella,"
rather than the previously planned production of "Camelot,"
which is more expensive to stage.

Last presented
in 2003, "Cinderella" will be performed only twice -- at 7:30
p.m. March 21 and 3 p.m. March 22 -- with both shows at the Sottile Theatre.
With the switch in productions, CBT hopes to save nearly $10,000 in production
costs by eliminating rental costs for the fly system in 'Camelot' as well
as the additional crew needed to run the show," says a statement
from the CBT.

Tickets
will be available starting Feb. 16 exclusively through the CBT box office
at 477 King St., by calling 723-7334 or online at www.charlestonballet.org.
Tickets are range from $35 to $45, and student tickets are $10 off any
ticket price with a student ID.

Launch party to be Saturday
for new local children's book

A book
launch party will be held Feb. 7 for "Shackles," a new children's
picture book by S.C. poet laureate Marjory Wentworth and local artist
Leslie Pratt Thomas, both of whom live in Mount Pleasant.

The book
is set on Sullivan's Island, and that's where the launch party will be
held: at the Sandpiper Gallery next door to the Laundromat on Middle Street.
The part runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Based on
a true story, "Shackles" describes what happens when a group
of little boys search for buried treasure in their backyard on Sullivan's
Island and dig up a bit of history - a set of shackles used centuries
ago on slaves who were held on the island. The boys' neighbor and friend,
Mr. Green, explains the painful hidden history of Sullivan's Island -
that one out of every three African-Americans has ancestors who were brought
to Sullivan's Island and held or perished in the "pest house."

Ultimately
a story of healing, "Shackles" is already receiving praise from
prominent writers such as Mary Alice Monroe, a New York Times best-selling
author. "Reading the story and marveling at the illustrations, I
laughed and I cried," Monroe says. "I love this book. 'Shackles'
is a must read for children of all ages."

REVIEWWhat are you reading,
eating?

HAVE A
REVIEW? If you have a review of a book, movie, restaurant or local
arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to editor Ann
Thrash. Make sure to include your name and full contact information.

HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT Melvin H. Purvis Jr.,
federal agent

Melvin
H. Purvis Jr. was born in Timmonsville on Oct. 24, 1903. He gained national
fame during the 1930s as the nation's "ace G-man," credited
with gunning down the notorious outlaws John Dillinger and Charles "Pretty
Boy" Floyd - although throughout his life Purvis maintained that
each event was a team project.

Purvis

Purvis
earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1925 and
then practiced law in Florence for two years. Frustrated in his efforts
to enter diplomatic service, in February 1927 he joined the Justice Department's
Bureau of Investigation, the forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI). Purvis quickly came to the attention of bureau director J. Edgar
Hoover, who offered Purvis opportunities to earn rapid promotion. In 1932
Purvis was named senior agent in charge of the bureau's Chicago field
office, where he orchestrated the capture of the bank robber and murderer
John Dillinger, America's "Public Enemy Number One."

On July
22, 1934, acting on a tip from a Chicago brothel operator, Purvis and
his team of agents surrounded the Biograph Theater, where Dillinger was
attending a movie. When Dillinger walked out, Purvis lit his cigar, signaling
other agents that he had spotted the fugitive. Purvis reportedly said
to Dillinger, "Stick 'em up, Johnny, we have you surrounded,"
but Dillinger pulled his gun and ran. Agents fired, and Dillinger died
at the scene. Purvis refused to take personal credit for Dillinger's death,
nor did he identify the agents who shot Dillinger. Three months later,
on Oct. 22, Purvis led the collection of federal agents and local police
that tracked down and killed the outlaw Charles "Pretty Boy"
Floyd in a field near Clarkson, Ohio.

Reporters
took an instant liking to the modest Purvis, and the mild-mannered G-man
quickly became a national celebrity. Hoover, however, was jealous of Purvis's
publicity. He assigned Purvis to bad cases and subjected him to close
review. In 1935, just a year after he had captured Dillinger, Purvis resigned
from the FBI. Hoover undermined his efforts to find work in law enforcement,
despite numerous job offers. Moving to California, Purvis practiced law
and capitalized on his celebrity, endorsing products such as Dodge automobiles
and Post Toasties cereal and publishing an autobiography, "American
Agent" (1936).

In 1938
Purvis returned to Florence County, where he married Rosanne Willcox on
September 14. They had three sons. He published a daily newspaper, the
Florence Evening Star, and then became a partner in the ownership of local
radio station WOLS in 1941. During World War II he served in the provost
general's office, attaining the rank of colonel by 1945. After the war,
Purvis was appointed deputy director of the War Crimes Office of the War
Department. Purvis died of a gunshot wound at his home in Florence on
February 29, 1960. The FBI initially reported his death as a suicide,
but later reports stated that he died accidentally. He was buried in Mount
Hope Cemetery, Florence.

-- Excerpted
entry by Bob Ford. To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about
South Carolina, check out The
South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)

What's the home state
of most visitors to the Charleston area? If you believe the jokes in the
press about the Lowcountry being overrun with folks from Ohio, think again.
Here are the top five states, according to a study by the College of Charleston
Office of Tourism Analysis for the Charleston Convention and Visitors
Bureau. (By the way, Ohio ranks No. 6.)

1) North
Carolina

2) South Carolina

3) Georgia

4) Florida

5) New York

QUOTE

Humphrey

"You cannot
go around and keep score. If you keep score on the good things and the
bad things, you'll find out that you're a very miserable person. God gave
man the ability to forget, which is one of the greatest attributes you
have, because if you remember everything that's happened to you, you generally
remember that which is the most unfortunate."

-- Hubert Humphrey,
U.S. vice president (1911-1978)

CALENDAR:
THIS WEEK

(NEW)
Sea and Save: Throughout February, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium
Wharf, Charleston. Reduced admission fee of $10 for all South Carolina
residents during the month, a savings of $7 off regular adult admission.
Proof of residency required. More
info online or at 577-3474.

'Uptown
in Downtown Charleston': Throughout February, Saul Alexander
Gallery, Charleston County Library Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St. Watercolors
by artist Andrea Hazel, a native Charlestonian, will focus on the neighborhood
people, corner stores and small businesses that becoming harder to find
in downtown Charleston. The paintings are part of an ongoing series that
reflects Hazel's love for her hometown and the streets where locals live
and hang out.

CALENDAR:
ONGOING AND SOON

Singles
in the City Mixer:
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 10, Tristan Restaurant, 55 S. Market St.,
Charleston. Singles in the City, a local social networking group for those
age 35 and older, will hold a Valentine's mixer with cocktails, appetizers,
socializing and party games. Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Tickets/details.

(NEW)
Child Suicide Prevention Seminar: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Feb.
13, Embassy Suites Charleston Area Convention Center, 5055 International
Blvd., North Charleston. Sponsored for the community free of charge by
the North Charleston Breakfast Rotary Club, the seminar is designed for
teachers, school counselors, district administrators and staff from other
organizations that serve children. Speakers include a child psychiatrist,
a cyber-bullying expert, a state lawmaker who sponsored anti-bullying
legislation, and the parent of a child who committed suicide. regarding
the facts about child suicide and how to prevent it. Continuing Education
Credits (CEUs) are available to counselors, social workers and psychologists.
Register by email
or call Stacey Lindbergh at 745-5166.

CSO,
CBT Collaboration: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14, Sottile Theatre, 44 George
St., Charleston. The Charleston Ballet Theatre and Charleston Symphony
Orchestra will offer a joint performance of three ballet masterworks underscored
by works from a trio of celebrated composers. Tickets: $35-$45, available
only through the CBT box office, 477 King St., by calling 723-7334 or
ordering online.

Winter
Golf Classic: Feb. 16, Wild Dunes Resort's Links and Harbor courses,
Isle of Palms. Sponsored by Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, with
60 teams and plenty of chances to network. Following the event, there
will be a Business After Hours at the Sweetgrass Pavilion. Sponsorships
still available. Tournament cost: $650 per team, or $200 per individual.
To register or learn more, click
here. For sponsorship info: Laura Kate Whitney, 805-3113.

Entertaining
with Nathalie: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16 through Feb. 20, Culinary
Institute of Charleston, Palmer Campus, 66 Columbus St., Charleston. Join
internationally known cookbook author and Charleston resident Nathalie
Dupree for "Entertaining With Ease," a week's worth of classes
on the art of entertaining, including recipes, ideas and tips for preparing
ahead. Each day's class includes a brief talk and demo followed by hands-on
cooking with Nathalie. The week concludes with dinner at Nathalie's Charleston
home on Feb. 20 featuring the menu prepared that day. Cost: $899. Click
here to register (it's course number is XPOC 657-501) or phone 574-6152.

An
Evening in the Orient: 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 21, Charleston
Museum, 360 Meeting St., Charleston. Annual fundraiser sponsored by Friends
and Needed Supporters (FANS) of the Charleston Museum. Far East food,
culture and items from the museum's Asian collections are showcased. George
Read of Sotheby's will preside at an auction, with items including vacations,
jewelry, Charleston silver, a 100-person oyster roast, a quail hunt, and
artwork by local artists. Tickets: $60 members, $70 nonmembers. To register:
722-2996, ext. 264, or http://www.CharlestonMuseum.org.

Chefs'
Feast for Food Bank: 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 22, Embassy
Suites Charleston Area Convention Center, North Charleston. 10th annual
Chefs' Feast fundraiser for the Lowcountry Food Bank features approximately
two dozen chefs from the area's top restaurants serving samples of their
best dishes. More than 95 percent of proceeds support programs that fight
childhood hunger, and all money raised stays in the community. Tickets:
$150 per person, available
online. Corporate and event sponsorships: Miriam Coombes, 747-8146,
ext. 104, or mcoombes@lcfbank.org.

(NEW)
Photographing Your Baby: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 15,
Charleston Center for Photography, 654 King St., Suite D, Charleston.
Portrait photographer Julia Lynn will lead this workshop, giving demonstrations
and teaching students how to choose the right location for shooting, properly
position the baby and get a great exposure every time. Aperture, shutter
speed, ISO and lens selections will be discussed as well. Cost: $125.
Register here.

Penguins
'n' Pajamas Family Sleepover: 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. March 20, S.C.
Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Sleep with the penguins at the
aquarium on the night that the new Penguin Planet exhibit opens. Family
sleepover will offer special chances to watch the penguins dive underwater,
learn about penguin colonies and discover what makes them march. One adult
required per two children attending the event. Reservations and advance
payment required. Cost: $30 per member child, $40 per member adult; $40
and $50 for nonmember child and adult, respectively. Reservations: 577-3474.
More info.

ON
THE BOOKSHELF

In this section,
we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:

SC
Statehouse Report--
a weekly legislative forecast that keeps you a step ahead of what happens
at the Statehouse. It's free.

SC
Clips -- a
daily news compilation of South Carolina news from media sources across
the state. Delivered by email about the time you get to work every business
day. Saves you a lot of money and time. Sign up for a free
trial subscription today.

Georgia
Clips offers a similar daily news compilation for the scores
of newspapers in Georgia's 159 counties.

GwinnettForum
-- an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett
County, Ga. USA.